Meticulous Planning and Crazy Love
by mocha11
Summary: Hopelessly in love with her teacher, Hijikata, Chizuru tries to survive high school as the only girl student in Hakuou Academy while trying to accept that a romance with Hijikata isn't meant to be. But her upper classmate, Okita Souji, helps her in a three-year plan to win over the teacher's heart. But their meticulous plan takes an unexpected turn when feelings start to bloom...
1. Chapter 1: Caught in Love's Trap

**Hello! It's been a while since I've been on fanfiction, but college keeps me busy. I am still working on my older fanfics, but I wanted to play around with the Hakuouki SSL universe, so here's a new fanfic for you guys! And just because I've neglected to write regularly, I'll post chapter 2 shortly after (in like a few minutes)! **

**This story is about a love ****triangle involving Chizuru, Souji, and Hijikata. Instead of the dark and dangerous approach I use in my other fanfics, this story will be more lighthearted and hopefully funnier (so this was made with the objective of making you guys fangirl). This is written in the first-person perspective with Chizuru being the obvious narrator/protagonist. So without giving much away, have fun reading this!**

**One last thing, full phrases in italics are Chizuru's thoughts.**

**As always, enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 1: Caught in Love's Trap<p>

The cold hardness of the tile floor made it uncomfortable to kneel, but this was the only way I could silence any unnecessary sounds I made. I was doing my best to keep quiet so I wouldn't be discovered, and standing behind the corner of the wall could possibly expose my position if I shifted between feet to lean on too much. So I resorted my knees to the floor, plus it didn't require as much energy. But the longer I kneeled, the more it felt as though the frigidness would numb my knees completely. Nevertheless, I ignored such hindrances and focused on the task at hand.

"Hey Toshi, don't you think you're overworking yourself? I mean, it is your fourth day in a row that you've stayed after office hours", Principal Kondou's words echoed softly in the quiet and almost empty hallway. The tone of his voice suggested he was concerned for his friend and coworker, but it wasn't the principal I was interested in…

He had said "Toshi", and my chest warmed with enthusiasm and excitement after knowing that the one I was longing to see was standing out there as well. I held my breath and only dared to peek out from the corner I was hiding behind to see _him_.

"Kondou-san, are you forgetting that I'm also the vice-principle? I don't go home right away like all of the other teachers. Got too much damn work that needs to be done, or else everything will turn to shit -permanently, I might add", Hijikata-sensei chuckled softly yet masculine enough to still maintain his steely demeanor. A ghost of a smirk pulled his lips back for only a tiny fragment of a second, but it was enough to make my heart pound unusually loud.

Hijikata-sensei…my secret and precious love. _Unrequited_ love, more specifically, since I was pretty sure he didn't know anything about the feelings I had for him, which I've kept stowed away in my heart since _that_ day.

On _that_ day, it had only been a week since I've started school at Hakuou Academy as a first-year student. Of course, the first week of high school was supposed to be nerve wrecking for every incoming student, but my week was more than a little traumatizing compared to my peers. After graduating from an all-girls middle school, my childhood friend, Heisuke-kun, convinced me to enroll in Hakuou Academy. It was close to home and I knew Heisuke-kun and my twin brother, Kaoru-san, would be first-years there as well, thus it was convenient and practical for me to attend.

At first, my mind was set on Shimabara Academy since I have friends I know there too, and at the time Hakuou Academy was an all-boys school. Shimabara Academy was a little ways from my house and the tuition was expensive, but the timing couldn't have been better as Hakuou Academy finally transitioned into a co-ed setting. Things couldn't have gotten better than that, or so I thought.

To my unplanned misfortune, I was the only girl student at school, _literally_. Apparently, word about the school's change into a co-ed environment did not spread well enough, or if it had, no other girl besides me was interested in going.

So my first week at Hakuou Academy was many things but cozy. A few classmates didn't make things easier for me as they began to pick on me for fun. For the most part I ignored them, but one day after classes had ended, I forgot my notebook in Hijikata-sensei's room. The class was empty, and it was easy enough to retrieve my notebook, but my way out was challenging and frightening.

The boys who had picked on me all week were in their soccer uniforms, and they must have been ditching practice or -I don't know what- but they found me and decided to harass me. They made it clear that I didn't belong in a sea of men and ridiculed my decision for enrolling at this school. They even went as far as saying that I couldn't get into Shimabara Academy because I wasn't feminine enough. Rationally, I knew their words shouldn't have mattered, but somehow they had managed to shatter my confidence. I didn't know what to do at the moment, and before they made a grab for my arm to harass me further, Hijikata-sensei had walked into the classroom.

His presence alone halted the boys dead in their tracks, and his admonishing glare to them was the most intimidating stare I had ever seen. He didn't even need to yell at them because the ice in his voice was enough to have the boys quivering in fear. He was no ordinary man. It wouldn't have surprised me if he had a spine made from steel.

After Hijikata-sensei sent them to Principle Kondou's office, the tears that I had in my eyes didn't fall out because I was so surprised and mesmerized. It was hard to breathe or even focus on anything in particular at all, but his violet eyes held me in place and the air he gave off was cool and calm. He made sure I was all right and promised me that the boys from earlier wouldn't bother me again. Before I could feel completely at ease around him, he then reprimanded me for not coming to him earlier about the boys, but somehow I could sense the kindness and concern in his frigid eyes and firm voice.

After that day, I've been paying attention to every move he made at school, and soon enough I found myself in love with him. Just seeing him in class or in the hallway warmed my chest, and I woke up early every morning excited to see him again. I knew it was silly of me to crush on my teacher, but I told myself it was a harmless love -so long as I kept my feelings to myself. Not to mention the amount of problems that could arise if he knew my feelings, but it would be better for him to remain unaware because I feared rejection. To him I was just another student, not even being his only female student made me special. I accepted that truth a while ago, but even so, admiring him from afar couldn't be so bad, so I figured.

Today I had given into my temptation to see him a little more and stayed after school without anyone knowing I was here. That was why I was acting childish and hiding behind a wall to crave my secret urges slightly further. I knew my actions were strange and greedy, but for some unexplainable reason I couldn't help myself.

I was so lost in daydreaming about the past that I hadn't noticed Principle Kondou had already left Hijikata-sensei's office, leaving my crush all alone to work on whatever it is that vice-principals do after classes are over. The door to his office was shut and his blinds were closed, which meant my sight seeing fun was over for today. Almost sadly, I finally got up from the floor and adjusted my school bag over my shoulder. For as long as I could, I held my lingering gaze on Hijikata-sensei's door. _Until I see you again tomorrow…_

I sighed heavily in some sad way of defeat, now ready to head back home. As I began to turn, I caught a quick bright light flashing out on me from the corner of my eye, which was shortly followed by an artificial sound of a camera snapping.

"Huh?", my eyes followed the source of the light and sound, and I found a blue smartphone facing me squarely. Before I could register what was going on, my eyes landed on the owner of the phone, who had a roguish smile on his lips.

"Gotta say, Chizuru-chan, you picked a pretty boring hobby of stalking Hijikata-san", despite the cattiness directed toward the vice-principal, the light-hearted voice that spoke to me was distinguishable.

"O-Okita-senpai?!", I nearly gasped his name as beads of sweat started to break out on my face and neck. _Did he just say "stalking"?!_

"Yep, that's my name", he grinned at me with a sort of childish disposition, purposefully ignoring my surprise to see him.

"What are you doing here?!", I tried to keep my voice as low as I could, but I couldn't contain my anxiousness.

"I could ask you the same exact thing. What are _you _doing here, Chizuru-chan?", Okita-senpai carried on with a normal room-level voice, unaware of or ignoring the fact that someone –specifically Hijikata-sensei- might overhear us.

"Please stop saying my name so loudly! Someone will hear you!", I whispered harshly in panic. Something in my reaction lit a sort of fire in Okita-senpai's emerald-green eyes, and his smirk became more mischievous than before.

"Oh? Are you trying to keep a secret from someone?", he feigned surprise, but his eyes bore into mine with uncanny interest. It was clear to me that he had some idea of my enthrallment toward Hijikata-sensei. Caught red-handed by my peer, I could feel cold sweat running down my back, and my cheeks were reddening hotly.

"N-No! That's not it!", I tried to deny his words.

"Really…" he said flatly, not taken even the slightest by my lie.

"Can we just go somewhere else and talk?", I tried to make a move to leave, but Okita-senpai wouldn't budge from his spot.

"Why? What's wrong with talking here-?", before he continued torturing me, I grabbed the sleeve of his green sweater and began to somewhat drag him out of the building. It was rather bold of me, but I was so desperate to get out of there! Okita-senpai's momentary surprise faded away when he began chuckling behind me and intently resisting my pull on his sleeve every now and then.

Somehow, and _miraculously_, we made it outside the school without being spotted. I released Senpai's sleeve and pressed my hands on my face in lame attempt to cover my flushed face. I was so embarrassed and nervous! The tension that hung in the air between Okita-senpai and me was thick and heavy; I almost couldn't breathe because of it.

My hands finally left my face, and I shyly glanced up to Okita-senpai, who was smiling down at me laconically. _He knows! He definitely knows my secret! He even took a picture of me outside of Hijikata-sensei's office!_

"U-Um… Did you see me doing…something outside Hijikata-sensei's office?", I tried to verbalize the matter at hand indirectly.

"…Something like…_stalking_ him?", Okita-senpai hit the bull's-eye and grinned knowingly at me. I jumped a little after hearing him say "stalking" again.

"I-I wasn't stalking him! I was… I was just…" my mind ran with excuses to voice out, but everything I thought of jumbled together all at once and eventually disappeared. I fell silent and trained my eyes on the pavement.

"You like him, don't you?", I heard Okita-senpai ask me.

"I-I, um…", it was difficult to admit, especially to Okita-senpai of all people.

Yes I knew him, but not very well. I had just met him this school year due to ties he had with Heisuke-kun, and for the most part he wasn't entirely interested in my whereabouts or me. We didn't see each other a lot in school, granted that he's a second-year so we don't have classes together. But in almost all encounters I've had with him, he never misses the chance to tease or embarrass me. Now that he knew my feelings for Hijikata-sensei, I'm sure he won't ever let me hear the end of it.

"Please…don't tell anyone about this….", I couldn't bear to look into Okita-senpai's eyes as I said it. I felt pathetic begging for his silence, but what other choice did I have? Shame and fear seemed to have shrunk me down in size while standing next to his tall figure. All sorts of troublesome thoughts plagued my head endlessly. _What if he tells someone about my crush? Will he humiliate me? Or worse, will he tell Hijikata-sensei directly?! _

"Hmm… I'll consider it", Okita-senpai stated simply. My eyes shot to his immediately.

"You'll consider it? That's not fair", I practically whined without thinking through my actions. _He'll consider it?_ _No way…_ I needed a yes or no answer to at least confirm my fate. It wouldn't be fair if he just left me in the dark while forcing me to helplessly watch the unknown events unfold.

"Relax kid, I was just screwin' with you."

Okita-senpai's smile was oddly different this time; it seemed…nice? It was only until then that I realized how on edge I was. He was right; I needed to relax. But how exactly could I calm down and relax while pretending that nothing was wrong?

"I don't get what you see in a guy like Hijikata-san, but none of that is really any of my business, nor do I really care", his voice and face didn't betray his apathy toward the whole issue. Still, I couldn't help but wonder what he had against the vice-principle, but I didn't dare pry into it.

"So you'll just forget the whole thing ever happened…and delete that picture of me you took?", there was no way I could forget about the evidence he had of me "stalking" Hijikata-sensei.

"Well, I didn't say _that_ either. Photography _is_ my specialty", he snickered. _Wait, what?_

"Then you-!"

"I could always delete the picture…if you do something for me", Okita-senpai interrupted me in mid-sentence.

"Do what exactly…?", I asked suspiciously. Considering his options, Okita-senpai lifted a hand to stroke his chin thoughtfully.

"Hmm… I don't yet."

"_Eh?!_"

"Hey there, I'm sure I'll think of something for you to do eventually… Ah! I just thought of it", he turned to me with a grin plastered on his face and held his hand out to me expectantly.

"Wh-What?", I didn't understand what he was trying to do.

"Give me your cellphone", he stated for me.

"You want my phone?", I raised a brow at him while hesitantly reaching into my bag for my white flip phone. He rolled his eyes at me emphatically before softening them again.

"I don't want to _keep_ it; I only need to borrow it for a moment", he assured me with calm, serene eyes. I wasn't sure why at that moment, but I had to admit that his eyes were a beautiful weapon.

Sighing heavily, I handed my phone to him.

"Thanks", he smiled at me again before busying himself with my phone. After a few moments, he then pulled out his own phone and began doing something similar to it as well. Just what was he doing?

"There, now you have my number and I have yours", he grinned triumphantly as he handed me back my phone.

"Just what exactly are you planning to do with my number?", I couldn't prevent worry from seeping through my voice.

"It's not rocket science. I'm going to call and message you whenever I feel like it", Okita-senpai stated as-so-matter-of-factly.

"Wh-Why…?"

"I have a good feeling you'll be entertaining", he closed his eyes as he smiled at me innocently. Just when the fire in my cheeks had calmed down it roared back up again.

What kind of reason was that of his? Before I could ask, Okita-senpai spun on his heel and walked off on his own.

"I'll see you later, Chizuru-chan", he waved me goodbye without turning his head to face me, and soon he was out of sight.

Alone again, I tried to process everything that had just happened. What on earth did Okita-senpai mean when he said that he felt I'd be entertaining to him? More importantly, would he really stay quiet about my not-so-secret crush on Hijikata-sensei? Even as I thought of all sorts of questions, I couldn't find an answer for any of them.

Not wanting to run into more unexpected happenings, I walked as fast as I could back to my home…

…

…At last, morning of the next day came, though I wasn't as entirely enthusiastic as usual. I was nearly up all night thinking about yesterday's events, and to be honest I was still quite nervous. At least it was Friday, and if nothing terrible happened today, then that would leave me time over the weekend to forget about my run-in with Okita-senpai. With that in mind, I got ready for school and walked out the door.

I usually walked by myself since Kaoru-san –whenever he was staying at my house- always left for school earlier ever since he joined the school's Disciplinary Committee. Sometimes I would walk with Heisuke-kun, but there would be days when he would accidently sleep-in for various reasons (most of the time being because he stayed up late playing video games). Today, however, I hardly minded being alone. Because I was still frazzled by yesterday, it would be better if no one noticed me in this weird stage.

I just had to get through today…

…I arrived at school several minutes later than usual, but luckily I was still on time. Homeroom flew by after distracting myself with my English book and chitchatting with one of my classmates, Ibuki-san. Funny enough that I was able to maintain a normal conversation so long as it wasn't about Hijikata-sensei or Okita-senpai.

Homeroom was the only relief I had of the day, though. Walking through the school's hallways in between classes was the most grueling part. My routine hadn't changed, in fact, everything was normal. What was strange was that now I was suddenly noticing Okita-senpai fairly often. Perhaps I hadn't noticed him before on normal days, but after yesterday he seemed to be everywhere. Whether he was talking to his friends or walking to another class, his presence was unnerving. I tried to ignore him as best as I could, but somehow I couldn't shake away the feeling that he was watching me. _Just ignore him and act like he's not there_, I told myself repeatedly.

The other arduous part of my day was my class with Hijikata-sensei. Class resumed normally, and Hijikata-sensei certainly wasn't aware of any of my distress. I knew he didn't know about my feelings for him, but I couldn't stop myself from dreading the outcomes if he did know. _Stop it! He doesn't know anything, so calm down._ I was losing it, and I couldn't go on like this forever. I pushed aside my feelings as best as I could and focused most of my attention on note taking for the rest of class.

As if school would never end, the bell signifying the end of the day finally rang, all the more sounding like heavenly music to my ears. It was now the weekend! Aside from homework, there would be nothing to stress about. As I walked through the halls to leave the building, a classmate from my class with Hijikata-sensei stopped me.

"Hey, can you do me a _huuuge_ favor?"

"Um, sure, what is it?", there was no reason for me to turn him down.

"Can you run this up to Hijikata-sensei for me? I'm going on vacation this weekend and I'm about to miss my train!"

"W-Wait a minute!", as I faltered in speech, suddenly my classmate set a heavy stack of papers in my arms and ran out the school's entrance before I could refuse.

"Thank you! I owe you one!", I heard him yell out before he disappeared completely. I was left speechless with my mouth hanging open. _Oh no! Why did it have to be Hijikata-sensei?! _A class with him was already more than I could handle, but what was I to do about the favor I had initially said I would do?

My stomach fluttered uneasily, but there was no other choice. I bit my lip as I awkwardly made my way to Hijikata-sensei's office…

…The door was closed and the blinds were shut by the time I arrived, which meant he was busy working. Now I felt worse about being here because I would be interrupting him. No matter, I just had to get this over with quickly. I swallowed hard and reached a timid hand to knock on the door. But before my hand met the door, it suddenly flew open, and standing right in front of me was none other than Hijikata-sensei.

"Hey! Where's my trash bin?!", he yelled out to any staff member listening. I shivered at the power of his voice –almost dropping the stack of papers I had with me- and felt considerably smaller as his shadow cloaked me. He finally peered down at me, obviously not expecting to see me.

"Hn? Yukimura? What do you want?", his icy voice was sharp and to the point. The sudden attention he had on me gripped every single nerve in my body, and I grew afraid that he might be able to hear thundering heart.

"U-Um…", I was too stunned to speak.

"If you have something to say just spit it out already. I don't have all day", his brows furrowed deeper and his eyes pinned me like needles.

"This is for you…", I looked down as I handed over the stack of papers. He eyed me for a moment before collecting the stack.

"Damn, it's this kid's responsibility to turn these into me not yours", his stern voice did nothing to ease me.

"S-Sorry!", I bowed my head, and my cheeks flared with sheer embarrassment.

"What're you apologizing for? It's not your fault. Besides, I presume you're doing a favor for someone, am I right?", his change of tone was small, but it struck me as another kind gesture. Suddenly I forgot my fears and stresses of the day and focused on him and only him.

"I just don't want the boys thinking that just because you're the only girl here that they can throw all of their responsibilities onto you."

"R-Really, it's no problem…", I waved my hands dismissively while laughing nervously. What I did only seemed to make Hijikata-sensei angrier.

"But it _is_ a problem. They should know that you're no different than they are. You're a student just like everybody else here, so any kind of special treatment is intolerable", his tone was solid and unwavering. I didn't understand why he was making such a big deal out of this, but his words settled down my nerves, and for once I felt like I belonged in Hakuou Academy. His welcoming words –though not sweet or refined- made my heart soar with love for him.

"Thank you", I bowed respectfully to him while smiling. My next move was to leave, but my eyes suddenly caught sight of something else in his hand. It seemed to be an envelope of some kind, only with a big, pompous heart on the cover. From what I could see, it was addressed to Hijikata-sensei, and the other name on it seemed to have been…a girl's? A tiny shred of doubt sent chills down my back.

Was that a love letter?

Hijikata-sensei eventually realized what I was looking at and tried to hide it under his arm. I was unsure of what to do, but that's when the custodian, Shimada-san, appeared with a trash bin in his hand.

"Sorry for taking your trash bin away, Hijikata-san. But I had to empty it since it was full, and I cleaned it while I had the chance."

"Don't worry about it, I just had to throw some things away", Hijikata-sensei took the bin from Shimada-san and threw the "love letter" into it. Strangely a part of me was relieved after that.

"Another letter? The girls at Shimabara seem to fancy you a lot", Shimada-san chuckled.

_Another letter?!_

"I honestly don't know why. Don't they realize that teachers aren't that rich to buy them luxurious knick-knacks? Not only that, I'm almost double their age; don't have to add much to that to understand why it can't work", Hijikata-sensei leisurely carried on his conversation with Shimada-san.

"Well you're a good-looking and smart man, it's natural they'd fall for you. And since you go to Shimabara Academy constantly for teacher meetings, of course they'll write to frequent visitors", Shimada-san at that point could hardly contain his laughs.

"Why does it seem like you're trying to find a ray of light in all of this? Teacher and student relationships don't work; it's that simple", I knew Hijikata-sensei's words were spoken with sense and reason, but they hit me with the force of a punch.

I'd known all along that teacher and student romances could never work, so why couldn't I accept his words so easily and move on. All I had for him was a simple and secret crush that could do no harm, yet why did it feel like my heart was being twisted apart?

"I have to go…", I excused myself and began to walk away from Hijikata-sensei's office. My nose was suddenly stuffy, and I could feel the beginnings of tears forming in the corners of my eyes. I bit my lip in desperate attempt to stifle a sob.

"Don't stay out too late, and be safe", from behind, I heard Hijikata-sensei send me away, completely and utterly unaware of the damage I had within me…

* * *

><p><strong>So there's chapter one with a bit of a sad end, but don't worry! Chapter 2 will hopefully lift your spirits! Also, I apologize for grammar errors within the text if there were any (proof-reading is a <strong>**luxury I can't always have due to time), and the same thing goes for chapter 2.**

**Please review! This is helpful to me in soooo many ways by showing your support and/or helping me improve my writing for the next chapters to come. Thank you!**

**And before I turn you over to chapter 2, you can almost always catch me on my tumblr blog, hakuoukiandmocha11. There you can see what I'm up to in case I'm slow on updating.**

**So...as always, have an awesome day!**


	2. Chapter 2: A Deal with The Jokester

**Don't really have much to say, so as always, enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 2: A Deal with The Jokester<p>

…I walked toward the kendo dojo to see if I could meet up with Heisuke-kun, as I would do on any other normal Friday evening. As I waited in the lobby for his practice to end, I contemplated over what Hijikata-sensei told Shimada-san.

Teacher and student relationships don't work; it was a harsh but unquestionable truth. My relationship with Hijikata-sensei could never grow into being something more than what it was now. He would never see me as anything more than his student… Tears welled up in my already swollen eyes at the thought.

"Hey Chizuru!", I heard my childhood friend beam behind me. Blinking hurriedly, I pushed back my tears, and turned to face him with a forced smile.

"Hi! How was practice, Heisuke-kun?"

"Good, of course! But everyone's pretty sloppy since it's Friday and all- …Hey…are you okay?", Heisuke-kun's smiled suddenly vanished.

"Huh? Y-Yeah I'm fine! Why do you ask?", I forced a smile as I lied.

"No offense, but you kinda look under the weather, you know?", Heisuke-kun's face morphed into one full of concern. _Great, now I'm making him worry._

"I think I'm just getting a small cold. Really, it's no big deal…", I patted his shoulder with an assuring smile.

"Okay… Just take care of yourself", luckily Heisuke-kun didn't press the matter any further. I sighed in relief, glad that I didn't have to lie anymore, especially to my friend of all people.

I took note that though practice was over, I could still hear clanging wooden practice swords in the distance.

"Are people still practicing?", I asked to keep distracting Heisuke-kun from suspecting that there was something wrong with me.

"Just Souji. He's got some tournament coming up so he's been in here every day for the past month", I straightened at the mention of Okita-senpai's name. I was aware that he and Heisuke-kun, along with several others, have been practicing kendo for a long time. I've been to several of Heisuke-kun's matches, and he seems to be at an admirable level of skill. But I had no idea how Okita-senpai fought, and for a reason I couldn't fathom I wanted to see how good he was.

"Do you mind if I watch his practice for a little bit?", I asked my friend.

"N-No, but why do you want to see him?", Heisuke-kun was a little taken aback by my odd request.

"Well I've never seen him fight, so uh, I guess I'm just curious", I admitted honestly. I was indeed curious, but I suppose I needed a sort of distraction to take my mind off of things.

Heisuke-kun led me through a door in the lobby, and soon we were in a large room with hardwood floors and bright lights. The air had a strong stench of manly sweat, and everyone who had just finished practicing was sitting on the benches against the wall exhaustingly, watching the only match with awe-struck faces that was taking place in the middle of the room.

Not far stood one of Hakuou Academy's teachers, Nagakura-sensei, who also coached kendo along with Kondou-sensei and several other teachers. But my eyes weren't trained on his refereeing for long as they immediately fell upon Okita-senpai.

His body moved at a speed that was hard to keep track of. Glistening beads of sweat rolled down his face and to his neck, polishing him like a statue. Each swing he took with his sword was hard and fast, throwing his opponent back every time. My blood pumped faster each time their swords met, sending sounds that reverberated all over my chest.

For a moment in time that I wasn't sure if I had just imagined it, I saw Okita-senpai's eyes flicker toward me, erasing everything around us and holding –_pulling_- me in with a force stronger than magnetism.

There was no doubt in my mind that Okita-senpai's skill and talent were brilliant, to put it simply. He was many things but lacking. But what took my breath away the most were his eyes; hot and icy at the same time with their own special poison that paralyzed one completely. Everything about Okita-senpai read "dangerous".

"One hit!", Nagakura-sensei yelled, as one successful hit from Okita-senpai drew his opponent back. Both of them stopped fighting momentarily and adjusted the grip on their swords. Nagakura-sensei, at some distance away from them, held his arm straight in the air and puffed his chest with air.

"Begin!", he yelled as he brought his arm down swiftly, and all movement in the middle of the room became unreadable.

Speed. Power. Endurance. Aggressiveness. The fight before me became a maelstrom of violence and ferocity. No, not just the fight. _Okita-senpai _was the vigorous being who controlled the outcome of the match.

The power and finesse that he put into his sword made his belligerent swings seem like an art rather than a sport.

"Stop! Okita Souji is the winner! Now show your respects!", Nagukara-sensei's voice seemed distant to me as I centered my attention solely on Okita-senpai. He and his opponent drew back from one another and gave a slow and appreciative bow.

"As always, Okita-senpai, you won again", the other pupil said admiringly despite having lost the match.

"Sure he did, but why were you aiming for vital areas on him, Souji?", Nagakura-sensei seemed less than pleased with his student.

"You should know, Nagakura-sensei. In a match there's no time to go easy on anyone. Especially when my goal is to win, there's no point in being lazy as hell", the confidence in Okita-senpai's tone was unwavering.

"I get that, but you _do_ realize you can get disqualified from a match if you seriously injure your opponent or some shit like that", Nagakura-sensei went on to reprimand Okita-senpai, but his student hardly showed any sign of remorse.

"Yeah I know. I guess I just had…a little more motivation to fight near the end of the match", it was brief and perhaps coincidental, but I noticed Okita-senpai looking at me from the corner of his eye as he spoke.

He quickly finished up his conversation with Nagakura-sensei, and walked directly toward Heisuke-kun and me.

"Hello there, Chizuru-chan. Wasn't expecting to see you around here", he gave me his usual half-smile, but something in his eyes read that my presence –though unplanned- wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

"Hello Okita-senpai", I kept my greeting short. Heisuke-kun crooked a confused brow at me before turning to Okita-senpai.

"Anyway… What's that whole 'a little more motivation to fight near the end' thing all about? Must have been somethin' good considering that you almost whacked the living crap out of Tomoe", I couldn't tell if Heisuke-kun was amazed or startled by Okita-senpai's performance.

"Nothing you would understand. But you shouldn't be worrying about how _I_ fight, Heisuke-kun", there was something derisive in Senpai's tone.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?!", Heisuke-kun tried to defend himself from Okita-senpai's banter. Before one of them could continue, Nagakura-sensei abruptly approached Heisuke-kun from behind and threw a bulky arm over his shoulder, almost having him in a headlock.

"It means you need to stop playing video games and actually focus on finishing your homework for my class! You little bastard, what makes you think I'm gonna let you have an easy practice after you pull that kind of shit!", Nagakura-sensei's grip tightened on Heisuke-kun.

"Lay off, old geezer! At least I don't lose all my money on pointless bets!"

"Hey! Break Before Dawn is the best horse out there right now, I was sure he'd win the last race, but his jokey has a better chance of whipping his own ass instead of the horse's!"

To anyone else Heisuke-kun's and Nagakura-sensei's conversation would've seemed like inappropriate behavior, but to them it was just casual banter between friends. Heisuke-kun was close with many men of the Shieikan dojo, so more often than not he'd be extremely casual with them.

I about lost myself in their bickering and let out a short giggle.

"All right, ready to go?", Heisuke-kun finally turned to me. Like normally after kendo practice, we would always go out for ice cream or whatever frozen sweet we felt like eating. I was about to nod in agreement, but Nagakura-sensei had other plans.

"What the hell, Heisuke?! Did you forget it's your turn on cleaning duty?"

"Eh?! But I already cleaned on Wednesday!", Heisuke-kun retorted.

"The only thing your ass busted was your own stick", Okita-senpai seemed to have planned out his intervention into the conversation perfectly. At that Heisuke-kun shot a quick glance at me –which I didn't know why he did- before blushing madly.

"Sh-Shut up! You pervert…saying things like that…", he grumbled to Okita-senpai.

"Would I ever?", Okita-senpai feigned surprise. Whatever they were talking about, I couldn't understand any part of it.

"Hey! Hey! Not in front of the lady!", Nagakura-sensei shot them both a warning glare while acknowledging my presence –I still didn't know what for, but I was beginning to think that I didn't _want_ to know.

"It's not what you think it is Chizuru! I-I was just cleaning the sweat off of my sword! …It just ended up looking like something else…", Heisuke-kun mumbled the last part. I didn't know what I was supposed to think of any of this.

"Uh…"

"You're only making this _harder_ on yourself, Heisuke-kun…", Okita-senpai smiled.

"Stop! Leave me alone!", Heisuke-kun's face was almost scarlet at that point.

"Nice one, Souji. In any case, you're still cleaning Heisuke", Nagakura-sensei tried to give off an air of authority.

"Fine… Sorry Chizuru, I can't get ice cream with you today", Heisuke-kun practically pouted and I felt kind of sorry for him.

"No, it's okay. We can always make plans for next week", I tried to cheer him up as best as I could, given the unpleasant situation for him.

"Yeah for sure!", and with that we parted ways.

I walked by myself outside of the dojo, but there was clearly someone right behind me. I frowned just slightly and turned to face Okita-senpai.

"Is something wrong?", I tried to make my voice as polite as I could.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that? You look like you just rolled out of bed", instead of the smile I was expecting from him, he only stared at me with sharp eyes.

"Do I?!", I brought my hands to my cheeks to hide my flushed cheeks. _Why does he have to be so blunt about everything?_

Instead of answering me, he only walked toward me until he was standing right in front of me. My eyes widened as he brought his face closer to mine. His eyes narrowed studiously.

"Your eyes are puffy and red", he was blunt again as usual, not at all feeling uncomfortable by the close distance between us. I took a purposeful step back from him.

"Must be allergies", I was curt. Not even trying to go along with me, Senpai scoffed.

"As if", he wasted no time in his response.

He saw through right me… I opened my mouth to rebut something back, but nothing came to mind so I reluctantly closed it. We stood with awkward silence for several moments until Okita-senpai finally cleared his throat.

"You know, ice cream doesn't sound like a bad idea", he wagged his brows suggestively. Clearly he had heard about my canceled plans with Heisuke-kun and had taken an interest in them. Well, at least we weren't talking about Hijikata-sensei…

"I only have money for my own cone, though", I was honest. What would be the point in him coming to get ice cream with me if he didn't have money to pay for his own. It would've been unfair.

"Don't worry, I've got my own money. Both cones are on me, how's that sound?", he'd surprised me with that.

"You don't have to pay for mine. I have money too-"

"It's my treat. Besides, I'm sure you would've gone home if I decided I didn't want any ice cream", he seemed as though he'd hear no "but" from me. Still…

"O-Okay, but that doesn't mean you have to pay for mine- …Wait…you don't want me to go home now?", I was struck with realization and confusion all at once.

"Well we're both hungry, and I bet you're in the mood for ice cream, so I don't see the problem in all of this. And you really need to stop being so modest, I didn't even get a 'thank you' from you", despite Okita-senpai's semi-scolding, I still didn't know why he wanted me to get ice cream with him. But I didn't want to make an argument out of nothing, so we made our way to the ice cream shop together…

…

"…'Chocolate Therapy'…That actually looks good", Okita-senpai eyed my ice cream.

"Yours looks good too…", I did the same for his "Cookies N' Cream".

"Wanna try it?", he offered his cone to me with a trickster's grin. He had licked his ice cream significantly enough, and I wasn't planning on sharing any food with him. It sounded stupid in my head, but I didn't want my lips to come into intimate contact with something that his lips and tongue were on…

"No I'm fine…", I returned back to my heavily-induced-with-chocolate dessert. Despite further protesting from me, Okita-senpai still bought me an ice cream cone, and we were now eating them on our way back home. I could've walked home by myself just fine, but Senpai practically called me a magnet for trouble and decided to walk me back to my house. I was yet unsure of why he was being strangely nice to me…

By the time we finished our ice cream, we reached a bridge overlooking a river and its bank with a majestic view of the sunset.

"It's so pretty…", I mumbled as I stopped walking and grabbed onto the bridge's railing to admire the scene. The sun had taken an orange glow, and the clouds in the sky were puffy and pink. Even the riverbank added onto the beauty of it. The soft breeze sent a faint shimmer of light across the soft grass, and couples were enjoying both the tranquil river and sky.

I had been so lost staring off into the environment that I hadn't noticed until now that Okita-senpai had been watching me the entire time. His eyes were gentle as they squinted at me slightly. He must have been amused watching me gape at the sky.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm taking up your time, we should get going now-"

"It is really pretty", Okita-senpai interrupted me and broke from my gaze to stare at the sky. His green eyes glowed brilliantly thanks to the sunset, and the half-smile on his lips made him look so peaceful. If an artist were to paint a picture of the landscape now, Okita-senpai would fit in well with all of that artistic beauty.

I didn't want to disturb him now when he looked so relaxed, so I joined him and returned my eyes to the riverbank. My eyes fell upon a couple sitting side-by-side without a single space in between them. The man had his arm around the woman whom he seemed to love, and she leaned her head comfortably on his shoulder. They looked perfect, without a single care in the world…

I grew jealous and sad by that which I couldn't have. Hijikata-sensei would never take me here and have his arms around me. I would never be able to feel the comfort and relief of his touch. Why did I have to be so young? Why couldn't I just grow up to be a woman of his age and not have to worry about anything in our relationship being out of place.

"Chizuru-chan, you okay?"

"Huh?", I looked up to see Okita-senpai looking at me with concern plain on his face. Was my misery that apparent on my face to him?

"Yeah, I'm fine!", I forced a smile, but he didn't seem convinced.

"You couldn't lie to a baby if you had to, so what makes you think you can pull one on _me_?", he smiled playfully, perhaps in way to cheer me up, but I was certainly not in the mood to deal with his wittiness. I had enough of him.

"Why do you care?!", I snapped, sounding more harsh than what I had intended. His eyes went wide immediately before softening again in a strange way.

"Sorry… I didn't mean to upset you", his melancholic tone brought me back to my senses. Why did I have to lash out on him like that? He was only worried about me, yet I hurt his feelings… I'm so pathetic…

"N-No, I should be the one saying sorry…", my eyes met my feet. I couldn't bear to look into the sadness residing within his eyes after being so rude to him.

Silence plagued the air again. All I wanted to do now was curl up in a ball on my bed. I didn't want to face anyone right now, least of all Okita-senpai. I began to depart from the railing and walk off.

"C'mon it's getting late-"

"You were crying, weren't you?"

Okita-senpai's question ceased all movement from my legs. I slowly turned to him with an expression that easily read off as shock. _How did he-?_

"Heisuke-kun might have thought you were sick since you don't look so hot right now. But after what happened yesterday, I… ", Okita-senpai, couldn't bring himself to finish for some reason.

_Wait…does he think it's _his_ fault I was crying earlier?_

"It's not what you think! _You_ didn't make me sad…", I stopped myself from talking about Hijikata-sensei.

"Then _who_ did?", Okita-senpai's eyes hardened into a glare, much more dangerous than anything I've ever seen, but I could tell that his resentment wasn't for me. I stayed silent, not sure what to make of his sudden belligerency. Aside from that, he already knew enough about my dilemma with my teacher, he didn't need to know more. I didn't _want_ him to know more.

"Was it Hijikata-san?", he pushed on determinedly. I wasn't sure how I looked to him, but I bet my face gave off a sign of surprise.

"What'd he do?", Senpai's voice became flat. I didn't know what kind of person Okita-senpai was, but I grew worried that he'd do something unpleasant to Hijikata-sensei. I had to set the truth straight.

"W-Well, he really didn't do anything wrong. I-I guess I'm more upset at myself for not accepting his sound actions…", my voice lowered to a mumble; I wasn't even sure if Okita-senpai could hear me.

He remained silent, but his eyes were demanding. Clearly he was waiting for me to explain myself. Well…he already knew that I liked Hijikata-sensei, what would be the harm in telling him about what the vice-principal had said earlier today?

I drew in air deeply before I continued.

"…I was there when he threw away some girl's love confession to him…", I began…

…

"…'_Teacher and student relationships don't work; it's that simple_'… That's what he said after throwing away that letter", I said as I explained to Okita-senpai what had happened. He'd been silent the whole time, yet he didn't look bored either. He was just…listening to me. Okita-senpai was a very irritating person, but strangely it felt good talking to him like this. For that I was grateful to him.

"I feel sorry for that girl who wrote the letter. I'm sure she liked Hijikata-sensei a lot and poured her heart out into writing that letter…yet he threw it away like it was nothing… That could've been a letter from me and he'd still throw it away…", it was a mighty effort to stop myself from crying as I spoke.

"You're so honest…", Okita-senpai sounded amazed as he said it, but I wasn't sure if he was saying that to me or to himself. I also didn't know what to say to that, but before I could even open my mouth he interrupted me.

"Oh, just now, I didn't mean that in a bad way. It's just really refreshing listening to you talk like that…", he said with a gentle smile as he leaned on the bridge railing.

"Okita-senpai…"

He blew me away. Before, I thought he was nothing more than a prankster who teases everyone, but now just looking at his gentle expressions was enough to throw anyone off-guard. Why was he suddenly like that? Or could it be that I misjudged him?

"Hijikata-san isn't wrong either, but you know that pretty well, right?", he spoke up, perhaps trying to console me with a logical view on things. I remained silent, but there was no denying that Senpai and Hijikata-sensei were both right. It was just painful acknowledging that truth.

"Besides, it's going to take much more than a love letter to tame that demon", Senpai's famous half-smile reappeared all of sudden.

"Huh?", I blinked. Where was this conversation going?

"So what if Hijikata-san doesn't like high school girls? That just means he'll only have eyes for adults, right?", Senpai's sudden positive tone was confusing to me.

"U-Um I guess…"

"Which also means there's more time for you to prepare yourself in high school. And by the time you graduate, you'll officially be an adult", he continued.

"Hold on Okita-senpai. What are you suggesting?"

"Isn't obvious? In the three years you have left in Hakuou Academy, you're going to make Hijikata-san interested in you. And when you're an adult, he'll be so impressed with you that he might actually like you back", Okita-senpai practically radiated with positivity.

"When I'm an adult…", I began with awe-struck wonder.

"…That whole teacher and student relationship thing won't apply anymore", Okita-senpai finished.

"…R-Really…?!", I could feel my cheeks warm up at the thought. _Could Hijikata-sensei and I actually be a couple…?_

"This sounds too good to be true… I mean, what would I even do for three years to get Hijikata-sensei to notice me? We can't hold hands or go on dates… We can't do _anything_ romantic because I'm still his student!", reason had finally hit me.

"True, but what's to stop him from crushing on you? He might not like you now, but you can still get him to have a harmless crush on you, just like the one you have for him. Of course he wouldn't act on it while you're still in high school, but it's a start nonetheless", Senpai answered.

"Okay, but how would I get him to…like me? Surely he wouldn't pay attention to me so easily…", I blushed while ducking my head. I was still a teenager, but I had no womanly curves or anything extravagant like that. I was plain…and Hijikata-sensei was out of my league. The man was beautiful for crying out loud!

I peeked up my head shyly to look at Okita-senpai, who was avoiding my gaze while scratching the back of his head. I wasn't sure if it was the sunset's glow on his face, but I could see the faintest trace of red on his face. _Was he blushing?! Surely not, it's Okita-senpai I'm talking about here._

"Well, you are cute enough, especially when you blush like that", he said without meeting my eyes yet. I slapped my hands on my face immediately and kept them there.

"I-I'm not blushing-!"

"But it's going to take a lot more than that to get Hijikata-san's attention", Okita-senpai went on while ignoring my state of panic.

"So that's where I come in and help you out", he childishly smiled at me, showing off his perfect white teeth in the process.

"Help me…? But why would you?"

I suddenly realized that Okita-senpai's involvement in my love life was pretty bizarre. Yesterday he didn't care about my crush on Hijikata-sensei, even said so himself, so why was he offering to help me now?

Okita-senpai stepped away from the railing he was leaning on walked toward me. When he was close enough, he placed his arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer to him. I froze, stunned. I couldn't even think of anything. Despite my surprise, I could feel heat radiating from Senpai. He was so warm…and the sensation he had on me was almost inviting.

"Because like I said yesterday…", his face was literally right next to mine as he spoke, and his warm breath brushed across my skin softly.

"…I have a good feeling you'll be entertaining, Chizuru-chan."

Before my mind could register anything else, Okita-senpai threw back his head to laugh and gave me a huge –almost painful- pat on the back that threw me forward a couple steps.

"Whoa! Hey that almost hurt!", I whined as struggled to reach behind me and rub away the tingling feeling on my back. Senpai only laughed more and proceeded to walk in front of me.

"Geez, you're so overdramatic. Now c'mon, let's go before it gets dark", he called over his shoulder.

"Hold on! Wait for me!", after just regaining my balance, I now ran to catch up with him. _This guy…just what am I getting myself into?_

By the time I reached him, Okita-senpai looked back at me with that same clever half-smile of his that only he could make.

"So what do you say about Hijikata-san? Do we have a deal?"

I bit my lip as my brows furrowed pensively. I had three years to get Hijikata-sensei to fall for me, but without Okita-senpai, what exactly could I accomplish on my own? Then again, I would be relying on Okita-senpai's help, which isn't exactly the most trustful or reliable source. _But he's the only source I have… And he really can't be that bad…right?_

At that moment, I didn't know it yet, but I would be embarking on the most meticulous, arduous, unexpected, wonderful, and craziest adventure in my whole life.

"Deal."

* * *

><p><strong>And there you have it! So how are you guys liking this story so far? Hopefully I can make at least one more update for this fanfic before winter break is over for me, but I can't guarantee anything, but I'm grateful to have you as my audience!<strong>

**Please review and tell me your thoughts and opinions about this chapter and/or the story overall! I would really appreciate it! So as always, have an awesome day!**


	3. Chapter 3: The Second-Guessing Frog

**Yay! I got one last update before I head back to college in a few days! Anyway, thank you for all of your supportive reviews and making this story well-received! Also, there might be a few errors within the text (because I wrote this on my phone), but I'll be sure to revise this chapter later when I have the time.** **Other than that, I don't have much to say right now, so as always enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 3: The Second-Guessing Frog<p>

At last, it was Monday. The weekend had –surprisingly- flown by without a hitch or bump on the road. The only stresses upon me were solving areas and circumferences of semi-completed circles for my Geometry homework. But other than that, my weekend was like any other, normal and mundane.

Time to prepare for school, I rolled out of bed and jumped into the shower. After taking the time to groom myself and get dressed, I made my way to my father's room to see if he had returned home from work. Unsurprisingly, yet still difficult to stomach, his room was empty and held no signs of his arrival.

As a doctor, Father was hardly at home because he took both early and late shifts at the hospital. And more often than not, he'd return home in the middle of the night when I was fast asleep. There were also instances in which he would spend a full day at the hospital without coming home. More than I'd like to admit, I usually found myself feeling lonely. Sometimes it felt like I was the only one living in the house. But it wasn't like my father neglected me on purpose or didn't care for me at all, I knew he was busy helping people and saving lives. Perhaps it was selfish of me to ask for his company, and I should be more understanding considering that our situation hardly gave us the opportunity to function as an ordinary family.

Koudou wasn't my real biological father. My _real_ father, along with my mother, died in a car accident when Kaoru-san and I were barely old enough to remember them. Despite our loss, a quarrel ignited like hellfire over custody and financial arrangements between the Nagumo family and my distant relative, Yukimura Koudou. My parents hadn't left a will, which made the whole issue worse. The Nagumo family, who had been friends of my parents, demanded for full custody over Kaoru-san and me and ownership of our parent's fortune. However, Koudou, being more closely related to us, claimed custody as well.

The dispute got so out of hand that eventually the government had to step in. As a result, the Nagumo family obtained full custody over my brother, and Koudou had full custody over me. As for my parent's fortune, the government decided to hold onto it until me and my brother were of age, then it would be spilt evenly between us.

It was almost tragic whenever I thought about being separated from my brother, but we barely had a say in the situation. But we tried to make the best of it, or at least we tried to see each other as often as we could. However, going to the same elementary school or arranging play-dates didn't help my relationship with Kaoru-san. After we were separated from each other, Kaoru-san grew…colder. Distant, to be more accurate. It was hard for me to comprehend his odd behavior. We were always so close when we were young, but now we simply weren't.

In the end, we treated each other like acquaintances and went our own paths after elementary school. Perhaps that was another reason why I decided to go to Hakuou Academy, to be with my twin brother again. Though, he would scoff and sneer at me if he knew that. He was just that…derogative. But no matter…I could think about Kaoru-san some other time later, now I had to eat breakfast.

Confirming that my father wasn't in the house, I at least had to check the microwave to see if he had eaten his dinner I left for him last night –or rather, to check if my father had even come home at all last night.

I went downstairs and hurdled over furniture in haste to reach the kitchen. Panting, I opened the door to the microwave and held my breath. I let out a disappointed sigh when I realized my father's food remained cold and untouched.

…He hadn't come home.

Then again, what was I to expect? Trying not to let my anger get the best of me, I moved quickly to prepare some toast. I wanted to get out of the house _fast_, which meant running out the door with food in my mouth. And that's exactly what I did as soon as the toast was ready…

...

…Of course, I arrived at school earlier than usual, but it was best being here than at an empty house. Still stressed from earlier this morning, I laid my head on my desk in desperate attempt to rid myself of my headache (I suppose sprinting to school added to the headache…and not eating a full breakfast). I dozed off for a few minutes, waiting for the bell to ring. Then I felt something big and warm shake my shoulder lightly. Whatever it was, it was trying to wake me up.

"Mn…", I groaned, reluctant to comply with what felt like a hand on my shoulder.

"Hey, Yukimura-san, are you all right?", a concerned and mature voice called out. My eyes flew open once I figured out that it was my homeroom teacher trying to wake me.

"Ah! U-Um, I'm awake!", I blurted without thinking and snapped my head up. My outburst drew in the attention of several peers in the classroom, who were all giggling and chuckling at me. _Why do I always embarrass myself like that in front of people?!_ The redheaded teacher ignored the outer commotion, and his concerned amber eyes that were looking at me softened warmly.

"Well you are _now_", Harada-sensei couldn't help but snicker out.

"W-Was I…sleeping through class?", I asked worryingly, still flustered over what I had done.

"Not at all, actually. But there is only a minute left before class starts, so I thought I'd wake you", Harada-sensei explained. The warm smile on his face faded and morphed into a small frown.

"But are you feeling okay? Do you need to go to the infirmary?"

"N-No, I'm fine", I wasn't stuttering because I was lying; I was stuttering because I definitely _did not_ want to go to the infirmary. With Sannan-san as our school nurse, not-so-pleasant rumors were spread about him. Even though he always had on a friendly smile, there was something mysterious and unnerving about him…though no one knew _what _it was.

"If you say so. Just don't try to fall asleep during class, okay?", Harada-sensei proceeded to say.

"I won't, I promise", I assured with a firm nod of my head.

As soon as the bell rang, homeroom resumed with attendance and announcements. Normally I would've paid attention to every word spoken out of Harada-sensei's mouth, but I was still tired and now in the midst of zoning out. However, I remembered that Harada-sensei had caught me snoozing earlier, so it was best to avoid further trouble.

"…Also –and I'm sure all of you have heard this already, but I'm going to remind you anyway- there will be no classes this Friday unless you're in the Theatre Club. If you _are_ in the Theatre Club, you're to report to the auditorium at 9 AM on Friday. So don't be late", Harada-sensei said as he gave a warning look to several students in the room. Right as he finished, the bell rang, and it was time for classes to begin…

…

…Lunch finally came, and I took my usual spot at the table in the corner of the cafeteria. Heisuke-kun was already sitting there as well and stuffing his face with rice. Right next to him sat Saito-senpai, a second-year who was also a member of the Disciplinary Committee. He was in the Kendo Club with Heisuke-kun, so because of that Saito-senpai and me were something similar to acquaintances.

I sat right across from Heisuke-kun, who immediately flashed me a huge smile, though it wasn't as charming considering that rice grains decorated his mouth. I tried my hardest to stifle a giggle as I took out my bento box.

"Heisuke-kun, would you like a napkin?", I offered politely, still doing my best to not burst out laughing at the sight of Heisuke-kun.

"Huh?", he blinked at me, confused by what I was implying.

"There's rice all over your mouth", Saito-senpai –almost monotonously- clarified for him.

"O-Oh…", Heisuke-kun murmured awkwardly, before immediately grabbing a napkin from the end of table to wipe his mouth.

"Sorry 'bout that. I was just so hungry, I guess I got a little carried away", Heisuke-kun snickered in between embarrassed laughs.

"You don't need to apologize, though you should take your time when you eat", I chided him.

"C'mon Chizuru! I'm fine, no need to fuss about how I eat!", Heisuke-kun, as carefree and energetic as ever, tried to dismiss my sermon.

"Yukimura is absolutely right, and you would do well to listen to her, Heisuke", Saito-senpai spoke with a fascinating air of stoic maturity.

"I've heard that by eating slower, you can help maintain a healthy metabolism. Also, you decrease your chances of gaining weight because the brain can recognize when you're full. By eating rapidly, you would only consume more and the brain wouldn't have time to indicate that the body has had enough food", he went on to explain.

It wasn't the least bit surprising to hear that sort of lecture from Senpai. He was one of the best students in his grade and did considerably well at kendo. Combining intelligence and athleticism, it was fairly common to hear Saito-senpai talk about anything health-related.

"…Well I guess Chizuru's right, but the way you talked about it just makes it seem so boring to do…", Heisuke-kun whined to Saito-senpai. All of the sudden the tension between them became alarming as soon as Senpai fixated his cool and frigid sapphire eyes on his younger peer. I knew by that look in his eye that he was not to be taken lightly.

"Fine, then allow me to word myself differently. If you don't eat healthily, your body will become weak, and consequently your kendo performance will significantly decrease. So I suggest you heed Yukimura-kun's advice", despite the ice in his tone, Saito-senpai maintained his polite disposition with dignity. This young man was really something else. Definitely what anyone would describe as an early-maturing youth.

"Okay! I get it now! Geez, why you gotta get so intense like that?", Heisuke-kun murmured the last part to himself, though I could tell that Saito-senpai obviously overheard him when he sighed exhaustingly. Sensing that the conversation was turning into something unnecessarily awkward (especially since it was about something as silly as eating), I decided to change the topic.

"…Well anyway, are you two excited about getting the day off on Friday?", I tried to sound cheerful as I spoke.

"Hell yeah! I can't wait to sleep in! Hey, we should get ice cream to make up for missin' last week!", Heisuke-kun –thankfully- contributed brilliantly to the positive tone I was trying to set.

"Yep!", I agreed enthusiastically before turning to Saitou-senpai.

"You should come too, if you want", I suggested. Unlike Heisuke-kun, Senpai didn't seem to catch onto the bubbly atmosphere.

"Thank you for the offer, but unfortunately I have to attend school on Friday for the Theatre Club's play", he explained.

"Whoa, I didn't know you were in the Theatre Club too, Hajime-kun", Heisuke commented with bewildered eyes.

"I'm not, actually. The teachers asked for several members from the Disciplinary Committee to help organize the show, so that's why I'll be there", Senpai stated. I could feel my eyes widen with sudden interest to what he was saying about the Disciplinary Committee's involvement in Friday's show.

"Do you know if Kaoru-san will be there too?", I asked with a mighty effort to contain my desperate curiosity.

"I'm not sure, but Nagumo is highly involved in the Committee, so there's a good chance he'll be there", Saito-senpai answered. I was eager to ask more about my brother's whereabouts, but before I could open my mouth, I felt a warm arm drape over my shoulder.

"Ah!", I jumped, startled by what –or rather, by _who_- touched me.

"Never mind what Kaoru's up to. We have all of Friday to spend alone together, so what do you wanna do, Chizuru-chan?", Okita-senpai, who was only inches away from speaking directly into my ear, spoke sultrily.

"Wh-wha-?!", I babbled.

_When did he sit next to me?! And what does he mean by spending alone time together?! _At that moment, I couldn't tell what part of my body was working harder, my brain, my lungs, or my frantic heart?

"Hey Souji! Don't come up like that and scare her! And why do you have your arm over her?!", Heisuke-kun nearly stood up from his seat as he scolded Okita-senpai with an accusatory finger. Not even slightly rattled, Okita-senpai merely chuckled and tilted his chin arrogantly.

"Oh? Am I intruding?", without looking remorseful, Senpai gave my shoulder one last squeeze, making a vein twitch on Heisuke-kun's face, before letting go of me.

"Sorry Heisuke-kun, but it's not fair to have Chizuru-chan all to yourself. After all, you already had your whole childhood with her; you clearly don't need anymore time with her."

I had a strong feeling that Okita-senpai's apology was hardly sincere, but what grabbed my attention and embarrassed me the most was the fact that he was talking about spending more time with _me_. This surely had to be another one of his jokes. He was, after all, the school's prankster and troublemaker.

"Hey Hajime-kun! Aren't you gonna say anything about this?!", suddenly Heisuke-kun's yelling interrupted my train of thought.

"…Honestly, this isn't surprising at all. We all know about Souji's tendencies to make jokes, you should be used to them by now", by the time Saito-senpai finished his sentence, he looked drained, as if Okita-senpai's presence alone could make him tired.

_So Okita-senpai can irritate even the most stoic and collected person I know…should that be considered a talent of his? No, it'd only make him cockier if knew what I was thinking. _Now, just thinking about Okita-senpai was frustrating me, let alone him sitting next to me.

He really was difficult to grasp…

"…But Heisuke's right. Frightening a student could be considered a form of bullying, something which the Committee has no tolerance for", Saito-senpai was close to giving Okita-senpai an admonishing glare. Yet still unsurprisingly, Okita-senpai's mirthful smile proved that he was far from being intimidated. He had guts -I had to give him that- for putting on a brave face to Saito-senpai, perhaps the strictest member of the Disciplinary Committee.

"Hajime-kun, I _put my arm around her_. I didn't chase her around with a snake", it was clear that Okita-senpai thought Saito-senpai was taking things too seriously, which was partially true. But-

_Chase me around with a snake? Why would he say that-?_

"Don't even bring that up!", Heisukue-kun yelped.

"Oh? You still remember that?", Okita-senpai seemed pleased Heisuke-kun's reaction.

"Of course I do! You're the reason why I hate snakes!", Heisuke-kun retorted. Somehow, it wasn't hard for me to imagine Okita-senpai chasing down Heisuke-kun with a snake in his hand.

"Calm down already. It was only a small, nonvenomous snake; it was completely harmless", Okita-senpai replied. At that, Heisuke-kun's eyes narrowed until I almost couldn't see them.

"Sh-shut up!"

"I could say the same to you. Now lower your voice; there's no yelling allowed either", now Saito-senpai turned his icy eyes to Heisuke-kun.

"U-Um…we don't need to argue about this", I shyly intervened. What else was I supposed to do? If I didn't say something, all three of them would start fighting. But as soon as I entered the conversation, it was my turn to receive one of Saito-senpai's reproaching stares.

"From where you and Souji stand, even teasing you is hardly appropriate since the two of you aren't exactly the best of friends. Therefore, Souji could be punished for bullying you", Saito's focus on the situation all the more emphasized just how serious he was. Was he going too far? Yes, and from the way I see it, what Okita-senpai did wasn't something that called for the Committee's judgment. Though I did think Okita-senpai deserves some scolding, I didn't want to get him in trouble for the simple act of having his arm around me. I had to settle things now before the situation blew more out of proportion than it already had.

"Really, it's no big deal what Okita-senpai did", I tried reasoning with Saito-senpai.

"…Forgive me for assuming this, but are defending him because you have some sort of relationship with him?", Saito-senpai inquired back.

I nearly chocked.

"R-Relationship…?!", I stuttered helplessly as I could feel my cheeks blushing into a shameful shade of scarlet. Quickly I realized that I wasn't the only one struggling with Senpai's words because Heisuke-kun spat out the apple juice he had been drinking.

"T-That's a joke right?! Ha ha ha! Oh Hajime-kun! You're gonna make me cry!", Heisuke-kun was practically doubled over laughing and raised a steady finger to wipe away his fresh tears.

"There's _no way_ Chizuru would be in a relationship with Souji-!", he cackled, but someone interrupted him.

"As a matter of fact, I am in a relationship with Chizuru-chan", to my misfortune, it had been Okita-senpai who had spoken up rather boldly.

_What?! Where did _that_ come from?!_

"N-No! That's not-!", I was angry with myself for struggling to spit out the truth, but my nerves were getting the best of me. I was further irritated when Okita-senpai hadn't let me finish blurting out the truth and instead put his arm around me again.

"Damn, you're only cuter when you squirm like that. I'm so lucky I have you, Chizuru-chan", his grip on me tightened as he pulled me in closer to him, with my face half-buried in his chest.

Hot! Everything was burning! My face! His body heat! I was hot! _He_ was hot! _No, not that kind of hot! Well no- he is handsome, but I'm not-! Wait-! What am I even thinking?!_

"…S-Sorry, I had no idea you two were…together like…_that_…I didn't mean to uncover your relationship…", Saito-senpai murmured while adamantly avoiding my gaze. Now _he_ was embarrassed too, and his flush face only seemed to add more fuel to the fire!

"EH?! HOW THE HELL ARE DATING?!", Heisuke-kun shouted as he stood up abruptly, making his chair tip back and crash to the floor.

_Why is this happening?! I'm not dating Okita-senpai!_

"Heh? You think Chizuru-chan's my girlfriend? Well I'm flattered you can imagine us as a couple, but we're not dating", Okita-senpai clarified. Finally! He was cleaning up the mess he'd started. Still, I couldn't help but notice he still had his arm around me, and I was forced to bask in his body heat.

"Then if you're not dating…", Heisuke-kun's rampage came to halt has he pondered over Okita-senpai's words. Then he gasped with what appeared to be sudden realization.

"Don't tell me you're using Chizuru for impure reasons!", then the rampage continued.

_'Impure?!' _

"Heisuke-kun!", I rebuked scandalously.

Okita-senpai must have found Heisuke-kun's proclamation rather amusing as he suddenly started laughing.

Heisuke-kun was angry and astonished, Saito-senpai was coy and embarrassed, and Okita-senpai was mischievous and laughing; they were all ingredients to a recipe for dissention, if not outright disaster.

Our once quiet table in the corner of the cafeteria now looked like a circus arena, and the other students were giggling and laughing as they watched the action from a distance. _If this keeps up, everyone in the school will think I'm dating Okita-senpai! _The very thought of that clenched my chest uncomfortably. I could _not_ let this go on.

Before thinking through my actions, I rapidly stood up and vigorously slammed my hands on the table.

"Okita-senpai and I aren't dating! And neither are we doing anything like that!", I nearly shouted out from the top of my lungs. The loud sounds of my hands slapping the table and my firm voice seemed to have quieted the whole room.

_Oh dear… What have I done?_

At that moment, I suddenly recalled the frog dissection lab from middle school. The room had been dark, and the only light shining was the spotlight directly over the smelly dead frog. The frog was the center of attention that day, receiving all sorts of reactions, from fascination to disgust.

…Right now, I felt like that dead frog as all eyes in the cafeteria were on me. However, I wasn't dead, which unfortunately would not spare me from facing literally _everyone_ in the cafeteria.

My knees buckled, forcing me to quickly plop down on my chair. With strong purpose, I avoided all gazes coming my way and focused on my half-eaten bento. I thought -foolishly, I knew- that if I didn't look at anyone, people would eventually ignore me and resume their normal business. As if my day hadn't been horrible enough, it became completely and utterly worse.

"Um…Chizuru, are you okay…?", I heard Heisuke-kun ask cautiously, as if to not overstep my boundaries. I didn't answer; I only focused on the food in front of me.

"…This is all my fault. I never should have mentioned you sharing anything with Souji…", then it was Saito-senpai who spoke up quietly.

"No! It's my fault, Chizuru! You can put the blame on me for screaming out assumptions", at that point, Heisuke-kun seemed desperate and determined to get me to talk.

"…C'mon Chizuru-chan, giving them the cold shoulder will only make them feel worse, and they're already begging for you to forgive them", astonishingly, Okita-senpai was trying to reason with me in the gentlest tone I've ever heard from him. Though it was hard stomaching the idea of listening to him, he had a point. I was about ready to apologize to Heisuke-kun and Saito-senpai, but Heisuke-kun stole my chance with a frown directed to the man beside me.

"That's odd coming from you, Souji. And as far as I could tell, you're also to blame for embarrassing Chizuru", there was a sort of uncharacteristic harshness in Heisuke-kun's tone. Albeit, he was also right. But I wasn't one to start pointing fingers at Okita-senpai, especially in front of others.

"Perhaps, but I guess we all have something to feel sorry for", despite the signature smirk on his lips, there was something in Okita-senpai's voice that sounded so sincere and…kind? Was he actually being remorseful? It seemed so out of character for him, but then again, he was full of surprises.

…Eventually I gave in and apologized to everyone at table for being so cold, but the rest of lunch went by with the men tackling over the responsibility of driving me to my breaking point. Even though all three of them drove me mildly insane that day, I realized that they truly did care for me and viewed me as a friend. _They're just all trying to look out for me…_

As we prepared to leave the cafeteria and resume our classes, Saito-senpai left to fulfill certain Committee duties. As soon as he left, Heisuke-kun turned to look at Okita-senpai with a curious look on his face.

"So if you're not dating Chizuru, then what exactly is she to you?"

The question shouldn't have interested me as much, but since it involved Okita-senpai, I couldn't help but listen in. After all, he was really only interested in me because he thought that I'd be "entertaining" to him, but I wasn't really sure what that meant. Now was my chance to get some clarification on that. Just what was I to Okita-senpai? A friend? Someone to poke fun at?

"I'm glad you asked! Chizuru-chan is now my personal manager for kendo~", Okita-senpai responded with an all-too gleeful smile. Personal manager? That was the first I've heard of that, and I didn't understand how I could be beneficial in that position.

"U-Um, I never said I'd be your manger…", I said coyly, but at the same time trying to be direct.

"He he. I knew Chizuru wouldn't take that kind of offer from you", Heisuke-kun seemed both relieved and proud of my response. He might have been Okita-senpai's friend, but I could tell he didn't like that friendship being extended to me. Was that a new possessive trait? Or was he just trying to look out for me? Either way, I could handle myself around Okita-senpai just fine, or at least that's what I wanted to believe.

We parted ways for classes, but Okita-senpai hadn't left my side. I supposed it was because our classes were in the same direction, but I immediately overruled that idea. My gut just _knew_ that Okita-senpai was up to something…I just didn't know _what_. There had to be a reason why he was following me. Perhaps it had something to do with me being his "personal manager".

I glanced sideways at him, curious to see what he would do.

"That was kinda mean, rejecting to be my manager in front of Heisuke", he spoke up quite sheepishly. Instead of his trademark smile, he looked like pouting child with a frown. Was he seriously sulking about that whole manager thing?

"I only said the truth. You never even asked me to be your personal manger, so how else was I supposed to respond to that?", there was no point in trying to spoil him in this situation.

"I felt I didn't need to ask", he replied bluntly. It took a lot of energy to not sigh exasperatedly in front of him. Just how confident was he? Too confident, and not in a good way, but that was just my honest opinion.

"Either way, I wouldn't agree to be your manager so easily…", I said.

Okita-senpai merely chuckled and his brilliant green eyes seemed to spark with enthusiasm. And then there was that zesty half-smile of his…yeah, he was _definitely_ up to something. Should I have been worried?

"Did you forget, Chizuru-chan?", this all seemed perfectly calculated coming from Okita-senpai.

"Forget what…?", I asked suspiciously. My memory was not mistaken; never in the past did we ever have a conversation regarding about me becoming his personal manger. Despite my sureness, Okita-senpai's wolfish smile had the ability to make me second-guess myself. Was I missing something plainly obvious? The more I thought about it, the more confusing this all ended up being.

For the third time that day, Okita-senpai put his arm around me. Why did he have to be so clingy?! I was more than ready to remove his arm and run straight to class where I wouldn't see him, but before I could do anything, he leaned close to my ear and whispered softly.

"We made a deal."

…And that's when I suddenly remembered my next class was with Hijikata-sensei.

* * *

><p><strong>So there's that! Sorry for hardly mentioning Hijikata in this chapter, but I wanted to introduce some of the other characters before I delved in too deep with his character. But no worries! He'll reappear in the next chapter, and that whole Theatre Club information will also be present in the next chapter.<strong>

**As far as updating goes, I plan to work on my other fanfics before I continue with this one, so I really can't tell you when chapter 4 will be posted because I simply don't know. However, I will do my best to work hard in between classes.**

**Please leave a review and tell me what you thought of this chapter! It's really ****helpful to me because your reviews help inspire ideas, correct mistakes, and keep me motivated to write! And if you want to get in touch with me, you can send me a message or visit my tumblr blog (hakuoukiandmocha11).**

**As always, have an awesome day!**


End file.
